Conflicts of Fitness: Islam, America, and Evolutionary Psychology

By A.S. Amin

In Conflicts of Fitness: Islam, America, and Evolutionary Psychology, A.S. Amin examines various aspects of Islamic tradition through a Darwinian framework. Islam’s allowance of polygamy and the underlying reasons for the subordination of women in many Muslim societies are among the important issues this book addresses.

Amin also offers original insight into many aspects of American society and history. Through the filter of biologically based theories, he explores the reasons behind the monumental changes in sexual mores that have occurred in the United States over the past century, the underpinnings of feminism, and the differences between liberals and conservatives.

An astute and entertaining work that compares and contrasts American culture with that of the Muslim world from a perspective inspired by evolutionary psychology, Conflicts of Fitness presents many thought-provoking tools to those in search of greater understanding of these two dynamic cultures and worlds.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Dec 3, 2015
• ISBN: 9781483437163

Book preview

CONFLICTS

OF FITNESS

Islam, America, and Evolutionary Psychology

A.S. Amin

Copyright © 2015 A.S. Amin.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of both publisher and author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

Author photograph: Naveed Khan/ Sunny Images Studios.

ISBN: 978-1-4834-3717-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-3716-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015913917

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 11/23/2015

CONTENTS

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1:   Polygamy

Chapter 2:   The Reproductive Climate

Chapter 3:   Women and Islam

Chapter 4:   Dueling Mentalities

Conclusion

Bibliography

About the Author

For Mr. Lulu and Gigi

PREFACE

The initial event that ultimately led to the existence of this book took place almost nineteen years ago. I was flipping through TV channels and stumbled upon a show about something called evolutionary psychology on The Learning Channel. It did not take long to realize that this new discipline was capable of offering profound insight into nearly every aspect of human nature.

Over the next several years, I spent an ever-increasing amount of time learning more about evolutionary psychology and analyzing the various aspects of my own life (e.g., my religion, the society in which I lived, the music I listened to, etc.) through this Darwinian framework. I was constantly amazed at the ability of evolutionary psychology to offer elegant, coherent, and parsimonious explanations for what initially appeared to be a bewildering diversity of human beliefs and behaviors. Eventually, I felt I had come up with enough novel arguments to attempt writing a book of my own.

Seven years and countless hours later, my manuscript was complete. After a decade of hard work, all that was left was the trivial matter of getting the book published. Unfortunately, a lack of familiarity with all the publishing options available, along with starting a career and a family, led to a long period of procrastination. Before I knew it, eight more years had passed. However, turning forty has the tendency to refocus a person, and the official passing of my youth has provided me the impetus to finally see this project to its completion.

There is no shortage of books about evolutionary psychology; dozens of excellent books are widely available. So what is special about this one? For starters, the extant literature is largely silent when it comes to Islam. American pop culture, particularly hip-hop, is afforded even less attention. Perhaps this is to be expected; I doubt many evolutionary psychologists have spent a lot of time studying Islamic law or watching Yo! MTV Raps. Yet both Islam and American pop culture, because they occupy opposite ends of the reproductive spectrum (more on this later), bring the logic behind the totality of human reproductive behaviors into sharper focus. Beyond offering a unique perspective on topics routinely covered in other books, this book develops a number of original theories as well. Due to the multidisciplinary nature of this work, it is my strong conviction that anyone with an interest in Islam, evolutionary psychology, or American history and culture will find this book both edifying and engaging.

The long interval between the writing and publishing of this book explains why present-day events are not mentioned; for this shortcoming, I ask the readers’ indulgence. Nevertheless, I believe that recent events in the Middle East provide stark confirmation of the theories set forth in this book, particularly those found in chapter four.

I would not have been able to write this book without the help of many others, all of whom I owe an enormous debt of gratitude. First of all, I would like to thank my mother and father. Without the education and free time their largesse provided, this book would never have been written. The entirety of the Columbia University library system was an invaluable aid in my research. Dozens of friends offered copious amounts of their limited time to evaluate the manuscript, and their feedback and criticisms improved this book greatly. Lastly, I would like to thank my wife. Inexplicably, she does not agree with everything in this book, particularly the ideas set forth in chapter one. Nonetheless, preparing this book for publication took up a lot of time that otherwise would have been spent with her and the kids, and her (mostly) unflagging support is greatly appreciated.

A.S. Amin

September 2015

INTRODUCTION

The past several decades have witnessed the formation of a revolutionary view of human nature, thanks to developments in the field of evolutionary psychology. Synthesizing evolutionary biology and cognitive psychology,¹ evolutionary psychology attempts to explain human behavior under the premise that the underlying function of the human brain is the maximization of its owner’s fitness, or genetic legacy in future generations.²

Although this book will deal with a variety of topics, an underlying theme runs throughout its entirety. Attempts to maximize fitness inevitably cause conflicts of interest to arise. These conflicts manifest themselves in a seemingly endless variety of ways, on levels ranging from the individual to the civilizational. Examining these conflicts of fitness will be the subject of this book.

This book focuses on two civilizations: the Muslim world and the West (particularly the United States). It is our conviction that the study of one often offers insight into the other. Furthermore, the pursuit of maximal fitness involves various compromises and trade-offs, and the different ways these issues are addressed in each civilization has important implications for humanity as a whole.

This book limits itself to certain topics of interest, and does not attempt to discuss the tenets of Islam or evolutionary psychology in a comprehensive manner. Readers may find the books listed in the bibliography useful to remedy this situation.³

CHAPTER 1

Polygamy

The origins of this book lie in a discussion I once had with a friend who was sharing her views on religion. It was her opinion that polygyny⁴ has no place in a civilized society, deeming it an inherently misogynistic institution set up to cater to the perverted fantasies of men.

Islam’s allowance of polygyny is just one thing among many that is cited as proof of its misogynistic nature. The first chapter of this book examines polygyny from a biological standpoint. This chapter will also allow us to introduce some of the conceptual foundations for the topics that are discussed in the rest of this book.

* * * * * * * *

A wide range of reproductive strategies can be observed throughout the animal kingdom. For example, reptiles and fish generally produce large quantities of offspring but invest little or no time in raising them, relying on the probability that a small percentage will survive predation and other causes of death and reach maturity. Other animals, including mammals and birds, have fewer offspring but invest a significant amount of time and energy in their upbringing in order to increase the likelihood that they survive.⁵

Focusing on animals that invest heavily in raising their young, different reproductive strategies between the genders are commonly observed. This difference results mainly from differing amounts of parental investment.⁶ To begin with, males’ sex cells are sperm, which can be produced in a nearly limitless supply at almost no cost. Conversely, females’ sex cells, eggs, are relatively small in number and non-replenishable, making them much more valuable. Furthermore, it is generally the female who must deal with the hardships of gestation, delivery, and oftentimes being the sole provider for her offspring. Contrast this with the male, whose investment is often limited to the sperm he uses to impregnate a female.

Let us now look at how the different reproductive needs of males and females translate into the mating patterns of mammals. A commonly observed pattern involves an alpha male who exclusively mates with a group of females. Why this is so becomes clear if we look at how the participants benefit in such an arrangement. For the male, mating with multiple females gives him the ability to sire many offspring, all of whom will carry half of his genes. As for the females, this situation gives them access to the best genetic material possible, which is exceedingly important.

If an individual member of a male’s progeny does not survive to adulthood, what does the male lose? For many mammals, the answer is: only the sperm with which he impregnated the female. Contrast this to a female who allows herself to be impregnated by a genetically inferior male. As mentioned previously, females expend an immense amount of energy to ensure their offspring’s survival. To lose this offspring on the basis of a male’s inferior genes is a reproductive catastrophe, given the limited number of future attempts females will have to raise their young. This is the reason why females are generally much more selective than males when choosing their mates.⁷

* * * * * * * *

The reproductive patterns discussed above also have implications for human men and women. As with males of many other species, a man has a nearly limitless quantity of sperm that he could theoretically use to impregnate multiple women daily for as long as he lives. Therefore, a man’s reproductive fitness is maximized by having as many mates as possible. It is also ideal for him to offer as little in the way of commitment and resources as possible, as offering these things hampers his ability to attract other mates. Women, on the other hand, obtain no intrinsic benefit from being promiscuous. Whether a woman sleeps with one man or a hundred, she still can only get pregnant the same number of times. As with females of many other species, it behooves a woman to be choosy when selecting a mate, given the huge investment of time and energy she must make in order to raise a child.

Good genes are not the only thing a woman wants in a man. In many species, females are the sole providers for their offspring. Although a human female is often capable of raising a child completely on her own, her task is made easier if the father also plays a role. Furthermore, considering that humans have spent the overwhelming percentage of their history in hunter-gatherer groupings,⁸ often under harsh conditions, having a man help out was usually much more important to the survival of children than it is today. A woman likely would have found it difficult to deal with pregnancy and providing for herself and her children without the help of a mate. Therefore, finding a man who has the means and desire to provide for his family is also a major component in a woman’s quest to maximize her reproductive fitness.

Understanding the reproductive goals of men and women leads to the realization that a conflict necessarily ensues in their dealings with one another. The male ideal is realized by being promiscuous and offering as few resources as possible. The female ideal is realized by being in a long-term relationship in which the man shares everything he has with her and her children. Therefore, we can expect human reproductive behaviors to involve some sort of compromise between the two differing agendas.⁹

* * * * * * * *

The institution of marriage plays a central role in human society. Every known culture on the planet has some form of marriage.¹⁰ A defining characteristic of Islam is its uncompromising position that sex is to take place only within the confines of a legally recognized bond such as marriage.¹¹ Therefore, in order to have sex, one must generally assume the many obligations that come with marriage. Islam also calls for strict penalties for people caught having illicit sexual relations.¹² The severity of these punishments indicates the importance Islam places on minimizing non-committed relationships.

It is interesting to note who benefits reproductively when a society forbids non-committed sexual relations. Although promiscuity can benefit members of both genders in certain situations, certain generalizations can be made. As we have previously seen, a man’s reproductive fitness is maximized by mating with as many women and by offering as few resources as possible. Therefore, forbidding men to have sex while offering little or no commitment is to their reproductive detriment. Furthermore, forcing men to make a commitment to their mates and to support any children that result approximates the reproductive ideal for women.

So, certain aspects of Islam appear to benefit the reproductive needs of women at the expense of men. However,